2010 - Diamond Head, Spring in the Rockies, My solo "Photo Safari", Chemin de Saint Jacques

My Flickr site for more pictures - 

January - Diamond Head
Location of Round Mountain, on the route into Diamond Head

Chuck McCafferty

In early January Ken Willis, Chuck McCafferty, Chris Cooper, and I went up Diamond Head for a ski (or snowshoe ;-)). We even met Steve Grant on our way up the road!

Sadly, there was no call for an AGM this winter. :-(

March - The Rockies
Location of Burstall Pass trail

Chris Cooper and Bob Needham enjoy a chilly break at Lake Agnes.

So there we were with another spring and time on our side. What were we to do? The Rockies called again. Chris Cooper, Bob Needham, and I had done this kind of trip to the Rockies in the spring a couple of times before and we thought with more practice we might get it right. ;-) We spent the first night with Bob and his wife in Kamloops and drove north the next day to Helmcken Falls, which I had never seen before. (picture of the falls on my flickr page) Before spending our first night in Valemount, we drove up to Robson to take pictures of Mt. Robson during sunset. We just couldn't pass up the blue sky possibilities. (picture of Robson on my flickr page) 
The next day we drove on to Jasper, and as the weather forecast was for a snow storm the next day we decided to drive the Icefield Parkway to Canmore instead of the next day. We made stops at Athabasca Falls (picture of the falls) for some photography and the Athabasca Glacier.(picture of the area) 
We had a very enjoyable drive to Canmore and settled in to the Bow Valley Motel. 
The next day we made a trip to Sulphur Mtn, but as the trail up was very icy, I decided to not risk an injury, but Chris and Bob made it fine. Bob and I are now proud owners of slip on "crampons". ;-)
The second day in the area we went to Lake Louise to go up to the Lake Agnes Tea House. It had snowed the day before, making me glad we had driven the parkway the day before, so Chris wore his skis and Bob and I walked up. It was a great day.

Bob Needham skis up the old road toward the
Robertson Glacier/Burstall Pass area.

The last two nights were spent with Chris's friend Richard Wagers who very generously provided us with luxurious accomodations. The four of us spent our last day in the Rockies skiing up the old gentle road towards Burstall Pass and the Robertson Glacier. We went as far as the open area where the trail branches to those two areas. It was a gorgeous day. Richard brought along with fixings to an enormous and delicious sub sandwich!

My solo "Photo Safari"
Location of the Pavilion road

Relics can be found if you look for them

In mid April I took off by myself on a “photo safari”. I knew that I made myself good company, but it did feel a little weird driving up the Fraser Valley towards Hope by myself.

I drove up the Fraser Canyon to Lillooet and over the Pavillion Mountain road to Cache Creek where I spent the night in a campsite. It wasn’t until I drove the Pavillion Mountain road that I found good reasons to stop and take pictures. I also know it was a matter of adjusting to the situation and simply stopping the car and getting out when I saw something interesting. I simply wasn’t very used to doing that. The road came out just a few kilometers north of Cache Creek.

The next day I drove through Ashcroft and then back down the Fraser River to almost Lytton because I wanted to check out the morning light on the large gravel cliffs on the north side of the Fraser just north of Lytton. It was interesting, but not inspiring.

I then made my way along highway 8 to Merritt where there were a number of interesting ranching relatedtopics of interest.

By the afternoon I decided to spend the night in a motel in Penticton and call up my old friend Bob Cuthbert. He very kindly treated me to breakfast the next morning and after that I made my way down to Lanny and Julie Martiniuk’s place in Oliver where I spent the next two nights. Needless to say I was able to sample some of their Stoneboat wines. :-) As it turned out, my high school friend Todd arrived as well. While there I drove up to the ski area at Mt. Baldy where my mom used to ski int he 1940s and discovered some interesting old buildings just south of Oliver.

I went home realizing that doing a trip like this was an excellent idea and should be repeated. It is so wonderful to be able to go off and see what the world has to offer and the time to soak a bit of it in. :-)

Chemin de Saint Jacques 2010

Location of Le Puy-en-Velay

Randy Wheating and Chuck McCafferty cycledfrom Le Puy-en-Velay to St. Jean-Pied-de-Port. 774 km (481 miles) over 22 days from May 30, 2010 to June 20, 2010 . Randy did a great write-up of the trip in www.crazyguyonabike.com. I highly recommend the full read of the article.

2009 - Central Europe, Sheridan Lake Retreat, The Icefields Parkway Bicycle Tour

My Flickr site for more pictures - 

Central Europe

Lynn and I flew to Berlin in mid June to start a month long trip through parts of central Europe. We didn't start out the year planning for another trip, as we went to Italy for a month last year, but with the death of two friends over the last year, along with the death of my father, we decided we should do things when we could. So with the help of our local travel agent to arrange the flights and the Internet and my retirement time to make it possible for me to arrange all of the hotel bookings, we took off.

We visited seven cities: Berlin, Prague, Krakow, Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, and Munich. Each were very worthwhile in different ways. Berlin's turbulent and rich history was fascinating to get a sense of, and it was a privilege to walk through the streets of Prague as it hadn't been bombed during the second world was, so unlike some European cities, all of the buildings were original. Krakow gave us a taste of another rich culture and wonderful old city and not far out of town, one of the most infamous places on earth: Auschwitz.

I enjoy a beer or two in a Salzburg beer garden.

Another long train ride took us to Budapest which was a very large city with a long history. It was unlucky to have supported the Nazis during WWII, then the back luck to have been "liberated" by the Russians. Like the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary, it had not tasted freedom until 1989 when the USSR fell apart. Budapest was great. Wonderful people, food, and sights.

A three hour train ride took us to Vienna. The House of Hapsburg ruled over Austria for over six hundred years! With that kind of longevity, and accompanying power and wealth, theHofburg palace complex is an incredible collection of riches gathered over many years from far and wide. Then there is the opera house, ... the list of worthwhile sights goes on. And the beer!

A short train ride takes you to Salzburg on the Salzach river. Salzburg used to be on the salt transportation route, but now it seems that its wealth comes from tourist pockets. Don't get me wrong. It's well worth visiting. It's a beautiful town in a beautiful location if it's a nice day. We arrived by train on a dreary rainy day, and the town didn't seem that attractive, but when we woke up the next day, the sun was shining and we had an absolutely great day touring a town packed with interesting sights, not the least of which was Mozart's home. And the beer garden!

Our last stop was Munich. As with all of the cities we visited on this trip, I knew enough about them that I knew they were worthwhile to visit, but I had not built up great expectations. I think because of that, I enjoyed the places more. Munich was no exception. Although it was bombed all to hell during WWII, the older part of town has been rebuilt to look much like it did before the war. Our walking tour of Munich was very interesting and entertaining, and our tour of Dachau, well, how do you put that into words? How do you describe a gas chamber and ovens where thousands of humans were murdered and turned to ash? Suffice it to say that there was more than once all I could do was not cry. Germany is evidently doing a very good job of trying to educate its citizens about what happened during the third reich and to try to make sure nothing like that ever happens again.

I have been lucky to have visited western Europe a number of times. I have visited various parts of western Europe in 1974, 1975, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2008, and now in 2009. This trip had a different flavour as both the land and its people have had a different history. I feel extremely fortunate to have made this trip. Did I mention how good the beer was? :-)

Lynn relishes the last rays in Kraków

- For more images from our trip, go to my flickr site, click on the "Europe" album, and view away.

Sherdan Lake Retreat

Location of Sheridan Lake

Anna, Ken, Terri, Lynn, Chuck at Sheridan

Ken and Anna kindly invited the McCaffertys and Rajalas up to the cabin on Sheridan Lake at the end of July and we had a great time relaxing. Needless to say we had good drinks and food, and oh yes, a little exercise. :-)

The Icefields Parkway Bicycle Tour - Well Not Quite

Location of the Icefield Centre on the Parkway

Dave, Chuck(by the tent), & Ken

We had talked in the spring of another bicycle tour somewhere and we finally decided to do our favourite ride - the Jasper to Lake Louise to Jasper ride. So Ken Willis, Dave Dixon, Chuck McCafferty, and I drove up to Jasper and then realized it was a long holiday weekend and all the campsites were full. We were directed out of town about fifteen kilometers east of Jasper to the overflow campground. Oh yes, on the way to Jasper we went through one of the heaviest downpours and hailstorms I have ever witnessed. And the weather forecast was for unsettled weather. Needless to say it didn't take long for us to decided to make it a supported ride. We would take my CRV along. :-)
The ride to the Jonas Creek campground was great. The weather was warm and dry, and the scenery was wonderful.The next day's early morning ride up to the ice field center was typically stimulating - cold and clear with the hill climb just as steep as it always was. :-) Breakfast at the icefield center has taken on a decidedly oriental flavor. Unless you can get into the actual restaurant you have to use the cafeteria. Don't get me wrong, the food is good if not expensive, but you won't find bacon and eggs on the menu.(a picture of Mt. Kitchener taken from the base of the Wilcox Pass hill.) (a picture of the Sunwapta River taken just south of the Jonas Creek campsite. )
The run down to Saskatchewan Crossing is always enjoyable as it is almost all down hill, with gentle rolling sections thrown in for good measure. We had reservations at The Crossing and enjoyed the pub meal and the ice cream at the store. The weather forecast was not good. Rain, low temperatures, and wind were in the forecast. (a picture at the ice field center from our 1998 ride)
The next morning we got up at 6:00 am to look outside. What we saw was a very low ceiling. Bow Summit was likely in the clouds. Temperatures had dropped and rain looked very likely. It didn't take long to attach all the bikes to the CRV and drive back to Sunwapta Falls for a nice breakfast. :-)

The trip was abbreviated but I for one was glad we did as much as we did for it got us together and we had our usual good time together.

2009 - UBC viewpoint, The Last AGM?, Diamond Head, Rockies Photo Shoot

My Flickr site for more pictures - 

The UBC Research Forest
Location of UBC's Malcolm Knapp Research Forest

The view of the Fraser Valley

The picnic table up at the viewpoint in the UBC Research Forest is a wonderful thing. Here Chris Cooper and Alan Lizee and I enjoy getting above the fog that blanketed the Fraser Valley for part of January. Snow has covered Maple Ridge for over six weeks. It started on about December 18 and decided to stay!

The Last AGM?
Location of the AGM 

Pipes I bought on my first visit to Istanbul.

The Red Lobsters have been having some kind of winter "Annual General Meeting" for more years than most of us can remember but it seems we are getting older.We are no longer single young men stretching our bodies and nerves on rock, snow, or ice. We are married with families and the commitments that come with them. We have also simply gotten older. Our bodies have an increasing number of complaints and it takes more effort to head out to the hills. 

Keith Akenhead's secret recipe?

Keith Akenhead

Besides the long time regulars, the "AGM" and the Red Lobster Club has had enough cache in the past to get a few new friends out for a "One Time AGM", braving the cold winter elements for the sake of being able to say, "I lived through a Red Lobster AGM and am now considered a Red Lobster!" We have seen these "One Time AGM" people for weeks afterwards walking a little taller and their shoulders a little farther back. The sense of pride in their physical and psychological achievement was obvious.

Bob Cuthbert

For the 2009 version of the "AGM" we were able to get a few of the old guard out to enjoy a night in the hills of Manning Park but the numbers were, alas, low. In spite of the low quantity of Lobsters, those of us present tried to live up to the spirit of the AGMs of yore. One Lobster, who shall remain nameless, got into the spirit with very much gusto and showed he thoroughly enjoyed the proceedings by developing a new dialect of English. An audio recording of some of his contributions to this new lexicon is available to Lobsters (in good standing) upon request.

Ken Williams

The morning following the AGM festivities we packed up and just as we were going to ski down, we saw Lobster Ken Willis coming towards us on his new snow shoes. I decided to stay another night and help him drink his wine and enjoy the Christmas lights he brought up with him. We went to bed early and slept a good sleep.

Ken Willis

Was that the last AGM?  If the aging Lobsters want another one, perhaps they will find a way to make it happen again.

Manning Park

Diamond Head

Location of Round Mountain, on the route into Diamond Head

Chris Cooper

It wasn't until March 3 that we made it to Diamond Head. Last year we had been there quite a few times by this time of year. The weather was great and Chris and I had brought our heavy digital slrs with us. For this shot above, I had shot a lot of frames in burst mode. Other pictures from this day are in my flickr account.

Rockies Photo Shoot

Bob Needham, Keith Rajala, Chris Cooper
The Mount Engadine Lodge

Back in 2005, Bob Needham, Chris Cooper, and I made a spring trip to the Rockies where we did a bit of skiing, hiking, and a fair amount of photography. This spring we decided to do something similar. 
Bob had recently retired and treated himself to a Nikon D700, Chris bought a D90 days before the trip, and I had my D80. After spending a night with Bob and his family in Kamloops off we went to the Rocky Mountain Ski Lodge in Camore. The first full day we did a hike up Sulpher Mountain. Well, not exactly. Bob had had recent knee surgery and only went part way, feeling good that his knee was as good as it was. I got half way after having to take frequent rests and decided to turn around due to my slow pace. Those evening treats had caught up to me. 
The second day we drove to Lake Louise and skied to the far end. We watched a number of ice climbers and talked to tourists from Germany and Holland. We skied back through a snow storm and then the sky cleared. We gave our SD cards a good workout! 
On the morning of the third day, we had our usual breakfast at the Rocky Mountain Bagel Company, but met with Val Verral, wife of Dan Verral, who along with Chris Espinel run the Talus Mountain Lodge. She suggested we do a drive along Spray Lake and have tea at the Mount Engadine Lodge. That turned out to be a great suggestion. As we drove along the Smith Dorrien Spray Trail, we noticed that below us and next to the lake were some people setting up some dog sleds. We decided to investigate. It turned out to be one of the dog sled companies in Canmore working with British army personel teaching them how to work with the dogs. It was a most enjoyable hour.
We drove on and soon arrived at the Mount Engadine Lodge. We were made to feel very welcome and soon availed ourselves of the delicious soup of the day and numerous cups of coffee. We spent some time walking about, and taking photos. Outside on the patio, we set up my flash on a tripod and took numerous pictures with Shark mountain as a backdrop. (see picture above) After talking to the owners and soaking up the ambiance for over and hour, I would love to go back and stay there.
On our last night Chris had arranged to meet with some people who had done the 2008 David Thompson Brigade canoe trip. They wanted to learn more about large canoes and what Chris had done on the B.C. coast and about his recent canoe trip along the south coast of England. They generously invited us for dinner and we had a very good time.
We drove home via Radium as the highway was blocked by a fatal accident between Field and Golden. We dropped off Bob in Kamloops, and except for the hill down from the Coquihalla summit being a skating rink in the dark, it was a long, but fairly easy drive home.
A great trip with good friends. Exercise, new experiences and people, lots of photography talk, and being in the Rockies. Who could ask for more in a "Rockies Photo Shoot". :-)

More pictures from the trip can be found in my flickr account.

2008 - Skyline Trail, Vicuna, Elk Mountain, Rockies, Mt. Frosty, Diamond Head, The Chief

My Flickr site for more pictures - 

The Skyline Trail - Maligne Lake to Jasper 
Location of Curator Lake, just south of "The Notch" on the trail

Keith at "The Notch"

In early August, Dale MacQuarrie, Ken Willis, and myself headed off from the Sheridan Lake retreat and started our Skyline trail adventure. The drive from Sheridan Lake to Jasper is only about 4 or 5 hours so that allowed time to not only set up tents at the Whistlers campground, but some window shopping and a nice dinner. The weather forecast was good so we were looking forward to the 44 km hike.
We got up early, had breakfast at the A&W and drove up to the Maligne Lake parking lot. The trail up to Little Shovel Pass was through forest and was quite pleasant. The pass brought breeze, black flies, and good views to the north. We got to Snow Bowl campground with lots of time to spare so Ken headed off for a ridge walk to the west and Dale and I hid from the mosquitos and black flies in a very hot tent. A few couples hiked by with very small packs headed for the lodge close to Curator Lake to enjoy room and board. A rather large group of hikers from Vancouver arrived at our campground fully covered with goretex, and heads encased with mosquito netting. They must have been sweating like it was going out of style!

Snowbowl Camp - many bugs!

We got up quite early on day two and headed off for Big Shovel Pass. We came across a group of five wolves that scampered out of a creek bed and went up a ridge above us. That was very cool. 
By the time I got to the pass the wind had picked up and looking to the south, the clouds were getting more threatening. It soon started to rain and before the trail to Curator Lake campground Dale brought up the subject of staying there for the day. Based on the quickly changing weather, I thought he had a point. Luckily by the time we actually got to the trail junction, based on the view tot he west, both Ken and I were sure the weather was going to quickly change for the better. Within a very short time, the sun was out again.
By the time I had dragged my body up to the notch, not only had Dale and Ken had time for a nice long break, the weather was clear again! (see picture above) How quickly mountain weather can change!
Needless to say, the rest of the walk along the skyline and subsequent descent to Tekarra campround was very pleasant indeed.
The next morning Ken struck off early to get the car, and Dale and I started off about forty-five minutes after Ken. It was a gorgeous early morning walk on the trail as it traversed over to the Signal Mountain road. The walk down the road was long and boring, but at least it was a steady incline and it allowed me to go off on a reverie of memories from the last two days.
For more pictures and info go to Ken Willis's Clubtread article

Vicuna and Guanaco Peaks - by Alan Lizee
Location of Vicuna Peak

Vicuna Slabs

On August 5th, I was part of a happy-go-lucky quartet that climbed Vicuna and Guanaco Peaks. We turned off the Coquihalla Hwy and drove up the Coldwater River forest service road until we were directly below the peaks where the road was blocked.A short jaunt up the road, a forest section, some bog, a boulder field, and finally slabby granite led us to the Vicuna/Guanaco saddle. We opted to climb Vicuna first, directly up its North East ridge. This was a fun class 3-4 scramble on sound, sticky-textured granite. At the crux we opted to go straight up the ridge crest (probably class 5) because there was a fixed cable to use if anything went wrong. Fairley's guide book describes avoiding this section by going around the to the left side. We all used the cable to some extent on ascent; and fully on descent. Guanaco Peak was part hiking and part easy scrambling. Marvelous views were enjoyed during almost the entire duration of the day's hike. - AlanFor more pictures and info, go to the Clubtread article.

Elk Mountain
Location of Elk Mountain

Chris viewing the border peaks and the Picket Range beyond.

Chris Cooper and I went up Elk Mountain just east of Chilliwack as neither of us had been up and it seemed to be a highly recommended hike and viewpoint. We were not disappointed. Views of fresh snow on Cheam and Lady Peak and panorama vistas to the south greeted us when we topped out.

A Rockies "Retreat" - Click here to get the full story.

Lake Louise

Ken Willis and I went off to Lake Louise for a week's worth of hiking, camping, photography, and restaurant food. Oh, and did I mention good weather, no bugs, wine and scotch sampling? Click Here to get the full story.

Mt. Frosty
Location of Mt. Frosty - The end point of the trail.

I had read about the larches on the upper parts of the trail to Mt. Frosty in Manning Park for some time and wanted to see them for myself. I also wanted to get to the top of Mt. Frosty as well.

Upper part of the trail.

So on September 29th, Chris Cooper and Alan Lizee showed up at my place at 05:30 and we were actually hiking up the trail by 08:20! Manning Park is the larch's western limit and they also only grow above 6,000 fit. We hit it lucky as it was not only a great day weather wise, but the larches were on in colour. 

Chris Cooper, Alan Lizee, Keith Rajala

Alan had done one of the Nesakwatch Spires the day before and he was still full of energy. You can read about that trip in the Clubtread article.  It was a great day with great company.

Diamond Head Revisited
Location of Round Mountain, on the route into Diamond Head

Elfin Lake

"A brief history of a short journey back into the time of local Lobsters Keith and Chris, we have both become to love Diamond Head, on many occasions by Foot, Ski and Bicycle to an area that is truly unique so close to Vancouver.

Elfin Lake

With all the most beautiful trips close to Vancouver, Diamond Head will always remain the favorite for me.
 
You may be somewhat surprised that this is Keiths 38th season here and for myself 46th season since 1962, here are a few photos from a wonderful time we both had, frost and cold we love and this will prepare us for future endeavors Im sure to Canada's more remote areas such as.......

Keith enjoying the view.

Bylot Island, any Lobsters interested for Late April/ May 2010.
 
Best wishes to all devoted Lobsters," 
- Chris. Senior Lobster

Toivo Antero Rajala - April 25, 1918 to November 9, 2008

A better Dad one could never hope for.